OSHKOSH, Wis. – The Webster University women's basketball team was back in action this evening when they traveled to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to take on the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Titans for the first round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament. The Gorloks fell to the Titans by a final score of 57-42 to end their season with a 27-1 overall record.
Webster went 18-for-47 (38.3%) from the floor and 1-for-10 (10.0%) from behind the arc. They were outrebounded by a final count of 39-25 with six rebounds coming on the offensive end. They forced the Titans to turn the ball over 20 times in the contest and turned those turnovers into 14 points on the other end of the floor. Webster also racked up 10 steals while recording four blocks.
The Gorloks came out in the first quarter of the game and hung with the Titans early as they found themselves trailing 8-7 three minutes into the contest. They had a tough time scoring the ball for the remainder of the quarter and Oshkosh would go on an 11-3 run down the stretch to take a 19-10 lead into the second. The Titans would extend their lead to 12 to start the second, but two straight baskets from Webster over their next couple of possessions would cut the lead to 26-18 midway through the period. The Gorloks were unable to find the basket for the rest of the half and Oshkosh would use a 9-0 run to end the frame to give themselves a 35-18 lead at the break.
The Titans would carry their momentum over into the second half and grew their lead to 21 midway through the third quarter. Webster would turn up the pressure as the quarter progressed and ended the period on a 9-4 run to cut the lead to 49-33. The Gorloks would outscore the Titans 9-8 in the final quarter but it was not enough as Oshkosh would hold them off to end Webster's win streak.
Julie Baudendistel led the way for Webster as she finished with a team high 12 points to finish her career as the Gorloks all-time leading scorer with 1,682 career points. In addition to Baudendistel,
Emily Wilson finished with nine points,
Nysa Gilchrist added eight points, and
Bethany Lancaster pulled down a team high 10 rebounds.
The Titans will advance to the next round where they will take on Trine (Ind.) University who defeated Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) College in double overtime by a final score of 61-58 in the first round. The game will take place tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
This marks the end of the Webster University women's basketball season. They ended the year with a 27-1 overall record and 18-0 mark in SLIAC play. They won their fifth straight SLIAC Regular Season Title and their third straight SLIAC Tournament Championship. They earned their eighth bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball National Tournament and were ranked in the top 25 in two national polls. The team will return to the court in the fall.
